Star Dragons
The Star Dragons is a Loyalist Codex Astartes-compliant Space Marine Chapter of unknown Founding and origin. The Chapter homeworld of the Star Dragons is the planet Draconith. The Star Dragons practise ritual scarification, inlaying the deep cuts with electoo circuitry that causes them to glow like caged stars. There has been speculation that they are scions of Ferrus Manus, but if this is so they display little of their erstwhile brothers' relentless logic. Instead, the Star Dragons are guided by their furious passions, unleashing their wrath upon any who threaten the Emperor's realm Chapter History Space Marine.]] Containment Fleet Kappa Currently, the Star Dragons have joined with the Blood Swords Chapter to travel the wastes of space near the Eye of Terror in a joint containment fleet designated Containment Fleet Kappa. For centuries prior to their deployment to the Balanor System to investigate the mysterious Space Hulk called the Accursed Eternity, these two Chapters had frequently joined forces when a given situation demanded it. The close proximity of their homeworlds of Jaggafall and Draconith had given them great reason to remain cordial and closely allied. Sometime in its recent history the Blood Swords Chapter was torn from its homeworld. This act of shame resulted in the Chapter undertaking a Penitent Crusade in order to redeem itself in the eyes of the Emperor of Mankind. Brother Itirimus, 2nd Company, 1st Squad (battleline).]] In the wake of the act of shame that saw the Blood Swords torn from their homeworld the Star Dragons had moved to support them. There had been no question of debt or honour on the Star Dragons' part. This reciprocal act of loyalty engendered a rare sense of genuine fraternity between the two Chapters that more commonly is confined only to Battle-Brothers of the same Chapter. There was a pooling of similar traditions and history, and this gave rise to surprisingly strong friendships that spanned the Chapters. Additionally, both the Blood Swords and the Star Dragons fielded stalwart warriors with an eye for tactics that made them a terrifying force to be reckoned with when they took to the field of battle together. Notable Campaigns *'Assault on the ''Accursed Eternity (998.M41)' - The joint Blood Swords-Star Dragons Containment Fleet Kappa was requested by Inquisitor Shadrach Remigius of the Ordo Malleus to come to the Balanor System to assist the forces of the Inquisition against a Chaos warfleet. Remigius ordered the containment fleet to immediately comply since it was the closest Adeptus Astartes force in proximity. There had been a reported sighting of a Space Hulk matching the description in Imperial archives of the legendary ghost ship called the ''Accursed Eternity. Manifesting from the Warp, the small Astartes fleet was instantly caught up in the very heart of the battle that raged between the Chaos warships and those of the Inquisition. Two of Kappa's small Escort vessels were incapacitated instantly by the guns of the Ordo Malleus ships, merely by dint of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Furious words from both Imperial parties were exchanged. The Inquisition had not been expecting the Containment Fleet to arrive with such alacrity, they claimed, and conversely, Kappa had not anticipated translating from Warpspace directly into a battle-zone. With obvious reluctance, the Inquisition ships altered their position and held fire long enough to allow the Star Dragon's Strike Cruiser, the Ladon, and the Blood Sword's flagship, the Ophidian, to take position and lend much-needed supporting fire. The Ladon opened up every gun port on her port side and unleashed a barrage of deadly fire on the Traitor vessels, but in the midst of this barrage they received a security-coded message from the Inquisition, ordering them not to fire on the anomalous vessel. Inquisitor Remigius presented himself aboard the Ladon to the Containment Fleet's commander, Captain Tanek, of the Star Dragon's 6th Company. Remigius sought an armed escort from the Astartes, for he intended to travel to the Accursed Eternity and deal with the moral threat it presented. He explained that the Accursed Eternity was not just another random Space Hulk drifting through space but possessed a much darker origin and a cursed history. He told the Astartes commanders that it was imperative for him to reach the ship's Enginarium in order for him to perform an exorcism rite to banish the daemon-possessed vessel back to the Immaterium from whence it came. But the Astartes did not fully trust the Ordo Malleus Inquisitor, suspecting that he was withholding some of the facts from them. To add to the tension between the two parties, the Star Dragons appeared to have some sort of unspoken debt owed to the Ordo Malleus that the Inquisitor was only too keen to hold over the Chapter's heads. Unable to refuse the Inquisitor's request, Captain Tanek reluctantly provided him with two Scales (squads) to support his mission. The Blood Swords' Captain Khorvash agreed to send one of his own squads in support of his fellow Astartes. As the Inquisitor and the Astartes investigated the lifeless derelict, something ancient and evil awakened aboard the Space Hulk. The ship was not what it appeared to be, as the living vessel deliberately led mysterious Warp-spawned creatures and daemons to attack the interlopers within its dark corridors. When Remigius and his escort finally reached their destination to confront the ancient evil controlling the dread ship, the Inquisitor boldly attempted to send the daemon back into the Warp using the incantations of an Inquisition exorcism rite. Unfortunately for Remigius, the Ordo Malleus misidentified the source of the evil as a Greater Daemon of Tzeentch known as Kairos Fateweaver -- the Architect of Fate. But in truth the evil at the heart of the Accursed Eternity was not the Architect of Fate but an unidentified evil that Fateweaver had imprisoned aboard the Accursed Eternity long ago. Remigius paid for his mistake with his life. Unable to destroy the daemon through conventional means, the remaining Astartes fled for their lives. As they attempted to exit the cursed ship, the Accursed Eternity seemed to come to life and attempted to stop them from leaving. When the Space Marine survivors finally managed to extricate themselves from the vessel with heavy casualties, both of the Containment Fleet Kappa's Strike Cruisers, as well as their Escort fleet of Destroyers and Frigates, opened fire simultaneously in a relentless stream of ordnance across space, striking the daemon-ship with unerring accuracy. Though the vessel appeared to have been destroyed, the Astartes fleet was unable to detect a Warp-core breach signature to verify that the daemon-ship had actually disintegrated. It was more than likely that the Accursed Eternity had only been temporarily banished back to the Warp. In time the dreaded vessel would likely return to the material universe once again. Chapter Organisation The Star Dragons is regarded as a Codex Astartes-compliant Chapter, as its organisation, order of battle and tactical operations adhere closely to the tenets laid down in that most sacred of tomes to the Adeptus Astartes. There are, however, some minor deviations from the Codex's prescribed doctrine. Most notably among these deviations are the use of certain draconic titles to refer to the Chapter's organisation and military hierarchy such as calling Star Dragon squads "scales." Another organisational term used by the Star Dragons is in reference to the daily meeting of a company's key command personnel, which is known as "the Clutch." During the Clutch that was held aboard the Star Dragons Strike Cruiser Ladon, for example, any and all problems facing the fleet were brought to the table and orders were shared with both the Star Dragons and their fellow Chapter manning the Containment Fleet, the Blood Swords. This formal meeting is a functional thing, and is rarely coloured with any sort of excitement. It is not known if Clutch is a general organisational term used throughout the Chapter or if it is only specifically used aboard the 6th Company's Strike Cruiser. Notable Star Dragons *'Captain Tanek' - Tanek is the Captain of the Star Dragons 6th Company, who is also presently designated as the commanding officer of Containment Fleet Kappa. Captain Tanek is a fierce, stern and allegedly brutal warrior on the field of battle, but when his armour comes off there is a certain affability about him. He treats his company -- and those who serve them -- with fairness and he actively encourages those aboard to speak their minds, regardless of rank or position. Such openness, he declared, was an important trait. His men nearly idolise him; the mortal crew component of the Ladon actually do idolise him. He finds it faintly uncomfortable and does whatever he can to dissuade such adulation. There is never any sense of haste or urgency about him. Tales are told of Tanek's battlefield valour, of how he is a deeply thoughtful soul who ensures that he has the full measure of his enemy before he ever takes up arms. It is a trait endemic amongst the Star Dragons; they are fierce, implacable fighters who look before they leap. *'Chief Apothecary Sol Konna' - Sol Konna is the current Chief Apothecary of the Star Dragons Chapter. *'Chaplain Hetor Iakodos' - Lakodos serves as the Chaplain of the Star Dragons' 6th Company. He is described as being shaven-haired and otherwise entirely unremarkable in appearance. His most remarkable feature is the varicoloured las-tattooed dragon scales on the left side of his face and neck. The Chaplain wears a distinctive skull-helm with his sable Power Armour. He also wears an exquisite cloak, hand-stitched by Chapter Serfs from the skins of the reptilian draconae of the Chapter's homeworld, Draconith. It is as thick as chainmail and gleams iridescently in the half-light. The cloak is a valuable Chapter artefact and as much a mark of Lakodos' office amongst the Star Dragons as the Crozius Arcanum he bears into battle. *'Veteran Sergeant Korydon' - Serving as the squad leader of the Star Dragons' 3rd Scale, Korydon is a serious warrior with a dry, often sarcastic sense of humour that complements Captain Tanek's straight talking style admirably. Korydon is comparatively young, compared to his Veteran Battle-Brothers of the 6th Company. *'Sergeant Evander' - Squad Leader of the Star Dragons' 6th Company's 9th Scale. *'Arion' - Arion was a Star Dragons Space Marine who served in the 3rd Scale of the 6th Company. He died aboard the Accursed Eternity when he was compromised by a mysterious Chaos entity. *'Orestes' - Orestes was a Star Dragons Space Marine who served in the 9th Scale of the 6th Company. He was slain aboard the Accursed Eternity by the daemonic spirit bound to the Space Hulk at the hands of Kairos Fateweaver -- the Architect of Fate. *'Tylissus' - Tylissus was a Star Dragons Space Marine who served in the 3rd Scale of the 6th Company. Chapter Fleet The Star Dragons' Chapter fleet is confirmed to possess the following vessels: *''Ladon'' (Strike Cruiser) - The Ladon is the Star Dragons' flagship within Containment Fleet Kappa and also the fleet's overall command vessel. Chapter Appearance Chapter Colours The Star Dragons primarily wear dark blue Power Armour. The Aquila or Imperialis on the chest guard, as well as the power pack, are silver. The white squad specialty symbol -- battleline, close support, fire support, Veteran or command -- is located on the right shoulder plate. A black High Gothic numeral is stenciled on the centre of the squad specialty symbol, indicating squad number. The shoulder plate trim indicates company number in accordance with the Codex Astartes -- i.e. white (1st Company), yellow (2nd Company), red (3rd Company), green (4th Company), etc. Chapter Badge The Star Dragons' Chapter badge is the profile of a white dragon's head on a field of dark blue. Sources *''Adeptus Astartes: Successor Chapter'' (Limited Release Booklet) *''Codex: Space Marines'' (8th Edition) (Revised Codex), pg. 59 *''Codex: Space Marines'' (5th Edition), pg. 30 *''Deathwatch: Rites of Battle'' (RPG), pg. 16 *''How to Paint Space Marines'', pg. 89 *''Insignium Astartes: The Uniforms and Regalia of the Space Marines'', pg. 61 *''Accursed Eternity'' (Novella) by Sarah Cawkwell es:Dragones Estelares Category:S Category:Imperium Category:Space Marine Chapters Category:Space Marines Category:Unknown Founding